Calif. officer upgraded to fair condition after crash

HANFORD, Calif. — A Hanford police officer seriously injured in a weekend collision with a man fleeing from other officers was upgraded to fair condition today.

Officer Jeff Davis was at Community Regional Medical Center, according to a hospital spokeswoman. He was brought to the hospital in critical condition Sunday night.

Davis was injured when his patrol car was struck broadside by a Toyota driven by 19-year-old Lennie Marty Ignacio Jr., authorities said. Kings County sheriff's deputies had been chasing Ignacio minutes earlier after learning he had been chased earlier in the evening by Selma officers for allegedly speeding and running a red light. Ignacio was last seen by Selma officers at Highway 43 and Kamm Avenue, heading south toward Hanford.

Ignacio and a passenger, 18-year-old Selia Quair, were flown to Community Regional Medical Center. They both were listed in critical condition Monday.

Officials said they are investigating why Ignacio fled from officers, but some small amounts of possible drugs, including marijuana, were found in the vehicle, California Highway Patrol officer Jerry Pierce said.